Puzzle.



I No. 679,782. Patented Aug. 6, l90l. G. L. BEENSTIEBNA.

P U 2 Z L E (Application filed Nov. 22, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Witnesses Invenorr Qy d mflme v dam Q Cfiorneys.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAF L. REENSTIERNA, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,782, dated August6, 1901.

Application filed November 22, 1900. Serial No. 37,339. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAF L. REENSTIER- NA, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Winchester, in the county of Middlesex, State ofMassachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inPuzzles, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is plan View of the puzzle. Fig. 2 is asection thereof on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In generic terms the puzzle may be described as consisting of a circularblock with peripheral cavities a ring rotatable on the block and havingcorresponding cavities, and a plurality of balls located in the cavitiesand adapted to be shifted by rotation of the ring. Thus in the drawings1 designates the circular block, which is provided with a base 2 oflarger diameter than the block proper. The whole block, including thebase, may be molded together from papier-mach or may be otherwise formedas appears most desirable. Resting on the base, but free to rotatethereon and making approximate contact with the edge of the block, isthe ring 3. In order to retain the ring 'upon the block, a disk 4 oftransparent celluloid or the like is placed upon the upper surface ofthe block and secured thereon by a screw 5, entering the blockcentrally. The ring will preferably be provided with a raised rim 6 toprotect the edge of the celluloid disk. The disk aids in preventing thering from assuming an eccentric position and binding on the block. Inthe periphery of the block and correspondingly in the ring are formedcavities 7 8 9, which are adapted to be brought into registration witheach other by rotation of the ring. In certain of these cavities balls10 are placed, three of such balls being shown herein. The generalobject of the puzzle is to shift the balls into a certain specifiedcavity or certain specified cavities by means of skilfully rotating thering on the block. This object is rendered difficult of accomplishmentby reason of the fact that certain cavities (herein designated 7) arenot deep enough to receive a whole ball,while other cavities (designated8) are more than deep enough to receive In the illustrated embodimentthe same number of cavities are provided in both the ring and block, andin each the deeper and shallower cavities alternate, so that in oneposition of the parts (shown in the drawings) the deeper cavities in thering register with the shallower cavities in the block, and vice versa.It Will be obvious, however, that other relative arrangements of thecavities might be made without essentially changing the nature of thepuzzle.

In order to render still more difficult the manipulation of the puzzle,the bottoms of the deeper cavities 8 are made sloping downward from therear or closed ends to the front or open ends thereof, as shown at 101.Preferably the slope is continued in the formation of the bottoms of theshallower cavities, as at 11. Thus the balls are caused to run towardthe shallower cavities 7 when the puzzle is held in a horizontalposition, and thereby to lock the ring from rotation, as alreadyexplained.

In the contemplated use of the puzzle it is intended that all three ofthe balls shall be brought into line with one particular cavity in thering, herein marked by a border-line and designated 12-that is, thatsuch balls shall at one and the same time be contained in the continuouscavity formed by bringing the marked cavity in the ring opposite theproper cavity in the block. To effect this special result, one of thedeeper cavities in the block, as 9, is made slightly deeper than therest, so that it will completely hold two balls at one and the sametime. The slight difference in the depth is not readily distinguishable.By skilful manipulation of the puzzle one of the balls may be put intothe marked cavity, the other two balls may be successively loaded intothe cavity 9, and,

finally, the two cavities are brought into registration with each other,thereby accomplishing the result sought.

I claim 1. In a puzzle, the combination of a plurality of movablepieces, a circular block with peripheral cavities, certain of which areless deep than one of such pieces, others thereof being deeper than onepiece but less in depth than two pieces, and a ring rotatable on theblock and having corresponding cavities, one of said parts having also acavity sufficiently deep to receive two pieces, substantially adescribed.

2. In a puzzle, the combination of a plurality of balls, a circularblock with peripheral cavities of different depths, certain. of whichare less deep than one of the balls, others thereof being deeper thanone ball but less in depth than two balls, and a ring rotatable on theblock and having corresponding cavities, one of said parts having also acavity suificiently deep to receive two balls, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a puzzle, the combination of a plurality of balls, a circularblock with peripheral cavities of difierent depths, certain of which areless deep than one of the balls, others thereof being deeper than oneball but less in depth than two balls, the deeper cavities havingsloping bottoms, and a ring rotatable on the block and. havingcorresponding cavities, one of said parts having also a cavitysufliciently deep to receive two balls, substantially as described.

4. In a puzzle, the combination of a plurality of balls, a circularblock with peripheral cavities some of which are too shallow to whollycontain one ball, others relatively deep to contain one ball but notquite contain a predetermined number greater than one, and a ringrotatable on the block and having corresponding cavities, one of suchparts having also a cavity-slightly deeper than the-rest to contain thesaid predetermined number of balls, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afflx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAF L. REENSTIERNA. Witnesses:

LEPINE HALL RICE, WILLIAM A, COPELAND.

